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The Mod, A Case for your Unique Life

The Mod is a full design system – not a singular item. It’s a new space to stow and carry items that are in your life. The concept was inspired by those old vintage portfolios that allowed for tricking out the interior with phone books, pencils, notebooks and little things. The Mod takes that concept and updates it with respect to modern day gear and today’s adventurer. ‘Mod’ifiable means you’re covered for your day job, after hours, weekends, alter ego, and dreams.

The modern day adventurer is leading a seriously interesting life. They have a day job, they blog, they shoot photos from their mobile, they have a bunch of people waiting for their next Instagram and VSCO Grid shot, they draw, they invent, they take up less space, they’re trying to be more organized, they’re looking for that next destination or AirBnB to travel to to snap some great pics, they’re leading double and triple lives, they’re thrill seekers, they’re designers, they’re educators, they’re flying solo, they have kids and or pets, they make music, they make love, they drink a lot of cold brew, they get their news from Vice, they laugh their asses off, they have 5 jobs but outsource 3 of them, they’re homeless yet living in luxury, they’re artists, they’re connoisseurs, they’re lifestylers, they’re poets, they’re all of us and more.

Mods from the 60′s were also interesting, but this isn’t all about them.

Our brainstorm & sketches led us to departing from the nostalgic yet not-so pretty three ring binder and instead we chose to include seamless magnets to hold different leather inserts based on the user’s needs. The vegetable tanned leather shell is designed to handle core universal items – phone, a tablet, cords, cards, stylus, and of course the Pencil by FiftyThree.

Once Nisha started prototyping from sketches, we tested and tested which led to six iterations before we reached a final prototype.

Our observations and refinements were about ergonomics, safety, gender, size, psychology, beauty, peace of mind and a whole bunch of other factors that we love to obsess and debate on. We reached a point where it was ready to share over social media to see the reaction and invite people to help us test it out. We were really excited when interest started to come through, not only from how many expressed interest but how interesting the people that were interested appeared to be.

As far as my personal testing goes, I am excited to finally have a case that has all my stuff (big and small) that I can carry in one hand. While deliberately unisex, it is exciting that guys have another option in a world where their aren’t a lot of options for guys. That said, with a simple switch of how it’s carried, it becomes quite cute and feminine.

For me, the most exciting part about the Mod (and the reason I called it a system earlier) is the modification the inserts possess. We’ll be launching with a bunch of inserts that are designed with specific people in mind. Kind of like Breakfast Club. There’s one for the musician, the artist, the writer, the prom queen, the photographer, the jock, the camper, and a few others.

We’re still working out the pricing and a few other details but will be releasing the whole story soon.

And the challenge.. We have 4 Mods that we’re giving out to test. To enter, just make sure we have your email address which you should’ve entered on your way into this post (if not reload). Then simply publicly share this blog post (link: http://bitly.com/modstory) on your favorite social site (IG, Tumblr, Twitter, etc) and make sure you tag with #tigmod #thisisground. We will run until Sunday when we’ll pick our last batch of testers, announce it here on the blog post. Good luck!

Absolutely love this. It is gorgeous, practical and holds so much! I’ve tried to add my email twice now and it still isn’t loading. Well done on creating something that looks good for both men and women. My husband would get as much use from this as I would!

This is such a brilliant idea! Would love to test this out (the email link wouldn’t work when I entered in my details). I hope it will be available to purchase in the near future. Good luck with it all

This would be perfect as I enter college next month. I could put all the things that I need like pens, notes, iPad mini, phone, earphones and almost everything! What I love about this is you can put everything without looking so bulky. So practical and convenient. (renzimontesclaros@yahoo.com)

This looks amazing, guys. Absolutely can tell that a lot of thought and time was put into the creation of the Mod. I’m very impressed, and would love to have a shot at trying one of these out. I wasn’t able to enter my email, either, like some of the others, so if you could put me on that list I’d be very appreciative.

Wow ! What a great tool to carry everything stationery that I need on a trip. I love the fact that it’s modular too ! I’ve been looking for something like that, quite neutral in style and possibly in leather but it seems impossible to find in my country so I hope I’ll get a chance to be one of your testers. Oh, and thumbs up for the vegetable tanned leather, it gives the mods a great look !
If I’m not one of your testers, I hope I’ll manage to buy it somewhere online !

As a huge fan of leather cases for iPad and notebooks, I can’t wait to try this out, either by testing or purchasing! I’m off to post to twitter, but please add me to the email list, as I can’t get the email form to actually send the address post action.

What an incredibly useful concept! As a teacher I always carry around loads of bits and pieces which don’t really find a place in my bag. This would make a great addition to my filofax!
Please check whether my email was entered, I don’t think it worked. Thank you!

Such an interesting concept; I haven’t seen anything like this before. It’s an all in one and yet so stylish a d compact love the fact that it is so customizable..
I have attempted to enter my email address several times but I’m not sure if it was accepted, looking forward to the release!

I love the design and being able to modify it to fit your needs. The material looks gorgeous and I could totally see this being a part of my daily life. I’m not sure if my email was submitted through the form, it seemed to freeze.

This is just the extension of the cyber office that is my iPad that I’ve been looking for. Like my preference for a real book to hold in my hand I still like something of a tangible component to my “office” that can still be very portable and neat. Already imagining the lovely feel of the leather and the compact weight of it in my hand. Will it come in different sizes?

I’ve had multiple friends check your post out since I shared the link on Facebook. It’s such a fabulous idea! Can you please verify if I’ve been entered? Can’t seem to get the email box to cooperate. Thanks!

I feel like I really need one of these in my life and am so excited for it to go public, but pleaaaaase make a non leather one so I don’t have to alter my whole belief system to have one! they are so amazing well done <3

This is a phenomenal product! Seriously beautiful! I can think of so many different uses for it, not only for myself, but for so many others. So versatile!
Should I receive an email after I sign up? I’ve entered my email, but not sure if it went through or not. Off to share on instagram!

Great concept! I love the streamlined, professional look combined with the classic leather. Nice to have a product which caters to the needs of multi-professions. I would love to try this out! Thank you.

neat! the prototype sketches vaguely remind me of a project i once planned in fifth grade, based on the trapper keepers of the 80s but with pockets inside for all manner of artsy supplies. of course, this system is, like, infinitely cooler but that was my initial thought. my second one was MUST HAVE! i’d super love to be a tester for this final round! will share on twitter now

I have checked this blog, and especially this blogpost, at least 3 times a day since discovering it – I just can’t get enough of looking at those pictures! I have been drawing sketches for something like this the past couple of years, but don’t have the knowledge or material to do something about it. And here you guys are with a perfect version of it!
I really hope you someday get a shop in Europe so I can afford to buy it (taxes and fees are ridiculously high when buying from overseas) when it comes out – you guys rock! And love all your lovely pictures on the blog – thanks for inspiring me. Keep up the good work!

Love the Mod! Especially the magnetic snaps and all the different components. The aesthetic is just what I’m looking for. I have another modular notebook system but I can use the Mod in other ways. Hope to try it out!

Eager to have one place that I can store items for work, then swap out for the weekend. I produce content (writing & photography) and need to upload it–like the idea of multiple tools in one attractice catchall. Will you do a Kickstarter campaign?